Individuals frequently participate in activities which may cause injury or discomfort to certain extremities, particularly their legs. For example, operating power tools or machinery, such as a chainsaw, may leave a person's legs susceptible to injury from the chainsaw itself or projectiles and debris. In another example, a person riding a motorcycle may be susceptible to leg injury due to collision with another vehicle or an obstacle such as a bollard or traffic control device (e.g., cone, barrel, delineator, etc.). In the event of a fall, a rider may even need protection from the surface of the road. As a further example, a farrier may be exposed to leg injury when installing a shoe on a horse's hoof. For example, a horse may flinch or kick causing the hoof or a protruding nail to impact the farrier's leg. In each of these scenarios, embodiments of the present disclosure may serve to protect the wearer's legs.
Prior art garments have been provided for covering at least a portion of a person's legs to prevent injury, but often these prior art garments have drawbacks. Certain ones may constrict the wearer's waist, restricting range of motion of the pelvis and hips causing pain and discomfort during extended use, particularly in a sitting or squatting position. This problem may be exacerbated by clothing or accessories worn under the garment such as leather belts, metal belt buckles, or other firm materials near the wearer's waist. In situations of extended or repetitive use, chronic pain may result. There remains a need for a protective garment with an ergonomic design in the pelvic region to reduce the instances of fatigue, pain, and discomfort.
Similarly, many existing garments have a relatively rigid belt which fails to flex or pivot in a manner which appropriately mimics or tracks the flexing of a person's hips. These belts are often of one piece construction or otherwise fastened together and are constructed of materials (e.g., leather) which don't easily bend in the orthogonal direction given the usual width of the belt (e.g., about one to three inches). Therefore, when a wearer bends at the waist, the belt remains substantially rigid and may cause discomfort where the belt exerts pressure on the wearer's abdomen or thighs. Such a belt may also restrict the wearer's movement.
Other existing garments may have protective portions which tend to flex away from a wearer's leg. This may both expose the wearer's leg to injury and physically interfere with work being performed. For example, a farrier often positions a horse's leg between his or her thighs or knees while preparing the hoof and installing a shoe. Loose protective garments such as prior art farrier aprons often tend to flare away from the farrier's shin while squatting given the rigidity of the materials used and the manner in which such aprons are secured to the legs. Such flaring not only may physically and visually interfere with the work being performed, but can also expose portions of the wearer's legs, such as the calf and shin. This condition may also be dangerous in the event that the horse's hoof becomes entangled in the protruding garment.
In the event that a garment becomes entangled with a hazard, it may cause injury to the wearer. For instance, a horse's hoof, in the context of a farrier's apron, or a power tool or piece of machinery, in the context of protective chaps, may become ensnared with such garments. As a garment is twisted, tugged, pulled, or otherwise manipulated it may cause lacerations, fractures, bruising, dismemberment, etc.
Therefore, a need exists for a garment configured to shield or protect at least a portion of a wearer's legs which is designed to: fit ergonomically around the hips; flex or pivot as the wearer moves; remain snug around the wearer's legs while squatting or kneeling; and/or prevent hazardous entanglement.